I cannot tell you all how thrilled I was to find this website because I have been driving myself crazy for 2 weeks looking at reviews on various resorts and wedding locations! So thank all of you in advance for any help you can provide!

We are looking to get married June 27, 2015 in Punta Cana. The problem (and blessing) is that my fiance and I have very large families and we are the first to get married in both. Just blood relation alone, we are looking at 120+ people who all live very close to each other (we are not scattered throughout the US). We are planning to invite 200 people with the hope that only a 100 attend (if not less!) and preparing for 150.

Lodging - I would like to have everyone stay at an all-inclusive so that the trip is more affordable for them, especially in terms of alcohol. I looked at some smaller hotels like Zoetry and Sivory to see if it was possible to essentially get everyone to stay at the hotel but I'm confused by their pricing because I don't think its all-inclusive as listed until you get to $700 a night (WAY TOO HIGH)

Any suggestions on smaller all-inclusive hotels?? I love the idea of finding a hotel where we are able to book most of the rooms. Or even a larger resort that has sections, etc.

Guest budget - Expecting (hoping!) that flights will cost around $500 round trip, it is my goal to keep the trip under $1,200 a person. For example, the cost of all-inclusive lodging for two people would be no more than $1,400 total for three nights.

Ceremony - We are both Catholic so we need to find a church and we have a priest in the family who we would like to perform the ceremony. Any suggestions on churches would be much appreciated!

Reception - I would like to do something off-resort if possible. However, most of the restaurants that I have read about in the threads will not accommodate that many people. I am super open to suggestions! My budget for the ceremony/reception is 25k.

Whew! That is a lot of info...Thanks for reading and double thanks for any responses!!!

I would suggest finding a great TA that specializes in destination weddings to help you find the ideal resort. Not sure where you are from but Canada works different than US and will be important to find a TA that works in your home country. Canadian packages include air hotel and transfers while normally US includes hotel only (and often transfers) and flights are booked separately.

I wouldn't worry too much about number or guests travelling yet... DW have a way of surprising you (in not always the best ways) of how many guests actually attend. (Age of guests, disposable income, length of flight, seasoned travellers, work or family commitments.... They all come into play) Make sure if you are inviting guests who are parents, to decide ahead of time if you want a child free wedding or welcoming kids as this will play into your resort choice!

Thank you @kmk2016! I am based out of the US (Texas). I started looking for wedding planners locally but their prices were exorbitant to plan a destination wedding (8k-12k)!! I will check to see if I can find a good travel agent!! Thanks for the tip!

Thank you @kmk2016! I am based out of the US (Texas). I started looking for wedding planners locally but their prices were exorbitant to plan a destination wedding (8k-12k)!! I will check to see if I can find a good travel agent!! Thanks for the tip!

Yeah I would strongly reccomend the owners of this sight- wright travel to help you... They are amazing from what I have seen from US brides and definitely know their stuff, I wouldn't hire a local (Texas) planner- you will be assigned wedding planners at your resort and it only helps to have some own familiar with local vendors and venues.... So check with wright travel or here on the boards on suggestions for local ones in Punta Cana. You may not need one though- most don't use them aside from the ones you work with once you select your resort.

I cannot tell you all how thrilled I was to find this website because I have been driving myself crazy for 2 weeks looking at reviews on various resorts and wedding locations! So thank all of you in advance for any help you can provide!

We are looking to get married June 27, 2015 in Punta Cana. The problem (and blessing) is that my fiance and I have very large families and we are the first to get married in both. Just blood relation alone, we are looking at 120+ people who all live very close to each other (we are not scattered throughout the US). We are planning to invite 200 people with the hope that only a 100 attend (if not less!) and preparing for 150.

Lodging - I would like to have everyone stay at an all-inclusive so that the trip is more affordable for them, especially in terms of alcohol. I looked at some smaller hotels like Zoetry and Sivory to see if it was possible to essentially get everyone to stay at the hotel but I'm confused by their pricing because I don't think its all-inclusive as listed until you get to $700 a night (WAY TOO HIGH)

Any suggestions on smaller all-inclusive hotels?? I love the idea of finding a hotel where we are able to book most of the rooms. Or even a larger resort that has sections, etc.

Guest budget - Expecting (hoping!) that flights will cost around $500 round trip, it is my goal to keep the trip under $1,200 a person. For example, the cost of all-inclusive lodging for two people would be no more than $1,400 total for three nights.

Ceremony - We are both Catholic so we need to find a church and we have a priest in the family who we would like to perform the ceremony. Any suggestions on churches would be much appreciated!

Reception - I would like to do something off-resort if possible. However, most of the restaurants that I have read about in the threads will not accommodate that many people. I am super open to suggestions! My budget for the ceremony/reception is 25k.

Whew! That is a lot of info...Thanks for reading and double thanks for any responses!!!

Congrats and welcome to the site! This is a great place for you to start your planning journey, and there are a lot of DR brides here.

Choosing your resort will probably be your biggest challenge, and without a doubt a good TA will be your best time investment. A travel agent will help your guests with their questions rather than contacting you, which will free up your time for your other planning details. @kmk2016 is right in that a DW has a way of paring down a large guest list, but if you're only looking at a 3 day stay, you definitely could end up with a large number of guests. Canadian trips tend to run an entire week but from what I've seen here, US travellers will definitely go with just a long weekend.

Wright Travel would definitely be able to provide you with information that might make choosing your resort much easier. They are DW specialists and have cultivated relationships with some great resort chains. Some resorts also offer perks for group travel, so that's additional information that Wright will be able to help you out with. Here is the link to contact them: